Design a Backyard Oasis
In the hustle and bustle of daily life, quiet moments can be hard to come by. That’s why, during Edmonton’s beautiful spring and summer months, we cherish the opportunity to unwind in our backyards. Despite the warmer weather, many of us still feel exposed to close neighbours (no matter how great your neighbours are). With the right selection of trees, shrubs, and perennials, you can transform your backyard into a cosy, low-maintenance, outdoor space.
Below, you'll find a graphic with some easy ideas to help turn your backyard into a cozy retreat. We've also included a list of trees, shrubs, and perennials that are perfect for your space. If this feels a bit overwhelming, don’t worry! We offer landscape design consultations to guide you through the process, from designing your backyard to selecting the right plants.
Shrubs
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Shrubs - Sun:
Tiger Eyes Staghorn Sumac - A deciduous, open-spreading shrub, with leaves that emerge chartreuse and mature golden yellow
Morden Fireglow Rose - Low growing, vigorous rose bush with double, fragrant, fiery-orange blooms
Dwarf Garland Spirea - Foamy, white spring blooms with long, graceful branches and finely-textured sea-green foliage that emerges after flowering
Dwarf Korean Lilac - A compact rounded shrub with fragrant, lavender-pink blooms in late spring
Shrubs - Shade:
Incrediball Hydrangea - Massive ball shaped flowers that bloom in the summer and into fall
Vanilla Strawberry Hydrangea - Comes in tree form with large white flowers that mature to pink then strawberry red
Dart’s Gold Ninebark - Bright gold foliage that turns lime in summer with clusters of showy white blooms in spring
Laced Up Elder - Black-purple, feathery foliage and soft pink-white bloom clusters in late spring
Dwarf European Cranberry - Glossy green foliage turns vivid purple-red in fall
Climbing Vines
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Virginia Creeper - Five-fingered leaves emerge purplish in spring and turn a brilliant crimson red in the fall
Clematis Jackmanii Superba - Masses of velvety, 10-15 cm, single, dark purple blooms, mid-June to Sept
Trumpet Honeysuckle - Vigorous climber with bright scarlet, non-fragrant, tubular flowers, loved by hummingbirds
Grasses
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Pennisetum (Annual) - Comes in two varieties with dark purple foliage
Ornamental Millet (Annual) - Comes in two varieties with dark foliage and long cat-tail like plumes
Little Bluestem Grass (Perennial) - Warm season perennial grass with green and white variegated foliage in spring that turns pink and purple for the rest of the season
Feather Reed Grass (Perennial) - Cool season perennial grass with narrow, feathery plumes that emerge purple-red, changing to gold
Canopy Trees
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Amur Maple - Glossy green leaves change to scarlet-red in fall
Pink Spires Flowering Crabapple - Columnar, vase-shaped form with early pink blooms are stunning and fragrant
Rosy Glow Weeping Crabapple - Weeping, dwarf form with bright pink blooms and ornamental purple fruit
Pyramidal Mountain Ash - Narrow, columnar form for compact spaces. Masses of white bloom clusters become orange-red berries in fall
Japanese Lilac - Large panicles of fragrant, cream-white blooms in late spring or early summer
Hedge Trees
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Montrose Charm Spruce - Conical, fast growing, columnar spruce. Smaller white spruce for narrow landscapes
Ohlendorf Norway Spruce - Dwarf, broad, conical evergreen with small, rich green needles and long, dark-orange, dormant winter buds
Blue Arrow Upright Juniper - Very narrow, columnar form with steel blue foliage with silver-blue ornamental berries
Degroot’s Spire Cedar - Tall, slender, very hardy columnar cedar
